Insuring Taos in many ways

Wanda Lucero Insurance Agency

State Farm Insurance agent Wanda Lucero (seated on right) and her staff

Katharine Egli

Posted
Thursday, July 27, 2017 5:24 pm

By Andy Dennison

Business, community and life all intertwine for Wanda Lucero and the State Farm insurance agency she has run for the past 15 years. Because of this, the Wanda Lucero Insurance Agency at 211 Kit Carson Road has been named Best of Taos 2017 — marking the eighth year in a row that she has been voted the top insurance agency in Taos County.

“My occupation is my avocation,” said Lucero, who began in the insurance business 34 years ago. “I love what I do because I get to help others.”

Lucero likes people and she loves to listen to their stories: “In the insurance business, where you are providing peace of mind, it’s important to learn who people are, what motivates them, what the important issues in their lives are.”

Getting her business up and running meant Lucero believed that she just didn’t have “time for downtime.” But a speaker at a financial advisor conference several years convinced her otherwise, saying that “feeding your mind, body and soul” will make you a better businesswoman.

Because of this example, Lucero now understands that in order to lead a successful business, you have to take care of yourself and your community. By setting aside time for those “outside” elements of her life, she sees that she has become a better insurance agent.

A Taos native, Lucero said she was born with a core belief to fight for the underdog and to fill her life with the things that were important to her. That belief comes from her parents, who were a deep influence in her life. Her father built his own contracting business, and would have worked seven days a week were it not for his devotion to his religion.

“We were brought up Seventh Day Adventists, meaning from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, you didn’t work, watch television or entertain,” she said. “It was forced time off for my father. Watching my father’s commitment to both work and religion had a strong effect on me.”

So, following her father’s example, Lucero reached out beyond her insurance office and into her community to help others. Here are some of the fruits of that commitment:

Lucero purchases 600 copies of The Taos News each week and distributes them to senior citizens at the Ancianos centers in Taos County and the Eagle Nest Senior Center. She also supports free newspapers at the weekly Taos Plaza Live performance.

She buys ad space in The Taos News for the Athlete of the Week, and supports all of the athletic teams at Taos High School.

Both the Rotary Chile Challenge and the Lions Club Golf Tournament benefit from Lucero’s financial support.

Her work at T.E.N. (Taos Enterprise Network) supports entrepreneurism in her hometown, and as a board member of the Taos Community Foundation, she advocates for funding to improve education, health and affordable housing in Taos.

Her work on the board of the Integrative Medicine de Taos conference aims to raise awareness and access to both traditional and non-traditional health care.

“It’s important to have time for others, because it helps you live your own life better,” Lucero said. “If I feel good about myself, then I can both do my job and live my life to the fullest. Living an intentional life can make a difference for others. That’s a big deal for me, because I gain happiness and self-satisfaction from helping others.”